Dealing with the Aftermath: The Needs Acquisition and Behavior Change Model for Couples With a Recovering Alcoholic Partner

Abstract

This article addresses the application of the Needs Acquisition and Behavior Change approach to providing therapeutic support for couples with a recovering alcoholic partner. The Needs Acquisition and Behavior Change Model was originally developed at the McGill Domestic Violence Clinic. It uses an integrated therapeutic approach combining observation and elucidation of client process, using concepts also described in cognitive-behavioral, motivational, narrative, and emotion-focused models. The Needs Acquisition and Behavior Change Model is distinguished by its focus on how unmet relational needs and the emotions they predict contribute to the maladaptive behaviors which bring clients into treatment. In the context of providing therapy for couples it provides a unique approach that helps clients to understand the origins of their behavior individually and in the context of their dyad and supports them in the formulation of more constructive ways to react to relational concerns both past and present.

KEYWORDS:

• alcohol
• couple
• emotions
• psychotherapy
• recovery
• relationship
• substance abuse

Notes

1 This case is fictitious and merely represents a collage of similar cases where substance abuse was extant.